


Butterfly Lovers

by noaccidents



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-08-08 22:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7776085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noaccidents/pseuds/noaccidents
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Therese Belivet is a competitive swimmer who teaches swimming. Carol Aird is a kindergarten teacher who just so happens to have a daughter who wants to learn how to swim.</p><p>Besides learning how to swim, they also learn how to love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Take your marks...”

The voice of the referee blared into Therese’s ears. Her fingers tightly gripped the edge of the starting block. Her toes curled around the edge. Her hips were high in the air and her goggles fitted around her head just right.

She was ready.

_Beep!_

The sound of the horn filled the air.

Therese leapt from the block. Her toes pressed against the edge, her arms stretched out, locking her head in between, and her legs stiffened. Her body was thrust into the air and it arched over as she entered the water.

 _Streamline._ She did a few dolphin kicks before breaking the surface.

 _Swim._ Her arms unlocked her head and they pushed backwards, creating a ‘Y’, Her chest and head were lifted up and were dropped back down again when her arms swung back to the front to complete the stroke. Her legs synchronised and kicked against the water. Up and down. Up and down.

This, was the butterfly stroke.

Therese loved butterfly. Yes, it was hard and incredibly tiring, but once you mastered it, it didn’t even feel like you were in the water anymore. It was smooth. And to be fair, she looked good when she was swimming butterfly.

The first twenty-five meters were always easy. It was just the start of the grueling race. The next twenty-five? Not so easy. Her hands still swung in the air and pushed the water away from her body, but it would start to get heavy and when she reached the wall to turn, she would be almost, if not completely, out of breath.

After she pushed herself away from the wall, she would streamline and then begin swimming again. Her arms would begin to ache and she would feel like giving up, but she wouldn’t, because that would mean a disqualification and she wasn’t one to give up anyways.

 _Sprint._ The last twenty-five meters were the most important part of the race. The last twenty-five meters were always the most important part. Therese ignored the cries of fatigue coming from her body and she forced her arms and legs through the water, eager to reach the finish so that she wouldn’t have to suffer any longer. She looked forward, her eyes concentrated on the yellow board, but not before scanning around to see if any of her competitors were in front of her. Surely enough, the swimmers in the lanes next to her were nowhere to be seen. Which meant she was winning. She flung her arms through the air and into the water. She was almost there. Just ten more meters. Her legs pushed against the water and her hands hit the board simultaneously.

It was over. She had won.  


* * *

“Hey Belivet!”

“Hey Dannie, what’s up?” Therese turned around to see her friend running towards her from across the street.

“Nothing really. I heard that you won the 100m butterfly race. Congrats!”

Therese blushed. It wasn’t every day she got a compliment from one of the best swimmers in the state.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Do you have a class to teach today?”

"Mhm. I do. You?"

"Yep, I got two."

They continued walking down the street in silence until they reached the entrance of the swimming pool. As she was heading in, Therese caught sight of a tall, blonde woman crossing the street with a young girl who looked around four or five years old. The woman was dressed in a cool white blouse and navy colored pants with her hair tied up.

“But Mommy, I don’t wanna swim!” Therese heard the girl say. She was tugging on the woman’s hand, evidently trying to prevent her from crossing the road.

Therese saw the woman sigh, and for a moment she thought that she was going to pick the girl up and bring her across the road to avoid anymore tugging. But instead, she crouched down so that she was looking at her daughter at eye level and Therese watched as she elegantly tucked a strand of her hair that had fallen from her loose ponytail behind her ear which effortlessly fell back down to her face.

“Hey sweet pea. Why don’t you want to swim? You love swimming when you swim with Mommy.”

The little girl looked at her mother with watery eyes. “Because I won’t be able to swim with Mommy later and the water will be so cold.”

The woman laughed. “Don’t be silly. Mommy will be watching you from the side of the pool and the water won’t be cold because it’s summer.”

Therese smiled. She liked how the woman took the time to talk to her daughter and help her understand.

The woman softly kissed her daughter on the forehead and she stood up and took her hand. The woman looked at Therese and smiled. Therese would've done so too, had it not been for—

“Belivet.” Therese jumped and looked at Dannie.

“What?”

“You know them?” he questioned.

“No.” she replied curtly. She was secretly annoyed at Dannie for having interrupted the moment.

“Well, okay then. I’m going in.” Dannie gestured to the pool entrance. “You coming?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Therese looked back at the woman and her daughter. They were now crossing the street, hand in hand. The little girl had a huge smile plastered on her face and she was skipping behind her mother.

They entered the pool building and headed to the reception counter where a brunette stood behind.

“Hey Therese. Hey Dannie. If it's not my two favorite swimmers.” Genevieve said. “Would one of you mind taking my place behind the counter for a while? I really need the bathroom.”

Therese shook her head as Dannie nodded.

“No, I don’t mind.” Therese said.

“Well, I do. My lesson starts in five.”

“Okay then, thanks Terry. I’ll be back. Love you!” Genevieve left the counter and hurried along the corridor.

“Well, I should get going too, I already see a few of my students at the poolside.” Dannie turned to Therese. “And I’ll see you after lessons end for dinner?”

“Why?”

“Because we need to celebrate your win, Belivet.” Dannie backed away from the counter. “Genevieve’s coming of course, and a few of my friends.”

Therese sighed. “Damn it, Dannie. I had other plans tonight.”

“What, stay at home cuddling on your favorite sofa reading a nice book with a glass of red wine in your hand?”

“Wha- No.” Therese stated weakly. That had been her exact plan for tonight, and she had actually looked forward to it.

Dannie raised his eyebrows. “Anyways, we’ll be eating at the restaurant just around the corner from here. Genevieve and I will wait for you here, of course, and we’ll go together.” He smirked. “By the way, I think you’ll really like my friends.”

Dannie found himself at the receiving end of a rather menacing glare.

“Whelp. Anyways, gotta go, bye!” Dannie sprinted away from the counter and into the corridor.

Therese dropped her bag on the floor and plunked herself on the stool behind the counter. She sighed.

Who was that woman in the white blouse and the navy pants?

Who was she?

Therese recalled when the woman had looked at her and smiled. Therese had felt something warm surge through her body and she remembered that her heart had started beating exceedingly quickly.

How could someone look so beautiful when dressed so casually?

It was like looking at an art piece in a museum. She was so… _exquisite_.

How about when the woman had elegantly tucked her hair away?

Was it possible for someone to tuck their hair away _elegantly_?

Therese quickly shook her head to shake the thoughts out.

There was no doubt that she was beautiful. But then again, the sun was shining so brightly when Therese had seen her. Anyone would’ve looked good with the sun shining on their face.

She sighed and plopped her head on the counter and closed her eyes.

“Excuse me.”

Therese jumped from the voice and she quickly lifted her head.

“Hi, I’m sorry, what can I-” she stopped, because right in front of Therese was the woman and her daughter.

Her eyes widened in shock and she signed. God, she was beautiful.

Therese swallowed weakly.

The woman looked at her curiously. “Are you alright?”

Therese snapped out her trance and nodded. “I’m fine, sorry.”

The woman smiled.

“So, are you here to sign in?” Therese asked.

“No, I’m actually here to sign up for the beginners swim class for my daughter.”

Therese grabbed a notepad and a pen from the table drawer and handed it to the woman.

“Would you mind writing down her name and your phone number for me please?” Therese asked. “I’ll check to see if there are any available classes.”

Therese watched as she took the pen and bent down to write. She then remembered what she was supposed to be doing and she quickly went onto the computer and opened the document.

“There.” The woman handed the pen and the notepad back to Therese. Their hands brushed past each other and Therese felt a tingle pass through the area of contact.

_Rindy Aird_

_212-434-0596_

“Thanks.” Therese placed the pen and notepad next to the computer.

“So, um, there are actually two beginner classes today. One of them just began, and the other one doesn’t start for another half hour.”

“So at 3:30?”

Therese nodded.

“Can I ask, who teaches that class?”

“Oh, I do!” Therese exclaimed. She secretly hoped that they would sign up for her class so that she would be able to see her every week.

The woman raised her eyebrows and smiled. “I think that class is fine.” she turned to her daughter. “Is that all right, sweet pea?”

Therese watched as Rindy nodded, taking an unnecessary note of how Rindy's hair seemed to be so straight and well kept, while her mother's hair came in soft looking blonde curls.

“Alright then, we’ll take the 3:30 class.” The woman said, breaking the silence.

Therese typed down Rindy’s name into the document along with the phone number.

“So the class will begin at 3:30. And to get to the swimming pool, you just have to walk through the corridor and turn left. The changing rooms are on the right.”

“Thank you… um…” The woman looked at her puzzledly.

"Therese.”

“Thank you Therese.”

Therese liked how she enunciated it.

“You’re welcome...?”

“Carol.” she paused. “Carol Aird.”


	2. Chapter 2

Damn it. Where the hell was she? How could she not be on here? Not on _facebook_ ?   
  
Therese grumbled as she scrolled through a list of dozens of facebook users with the name ‘Carol’, as she sat in the bathroom stall. She’d been eagerly searching her up online for the past ten minutes, but not even a trace of the older woman could be found.   
  
Talk about having no digital footprint (and a life).   
  
Therese had went on every social media platform she could think of, even Myspace. But nothing could be found.   
  
She continued scrolling through the list, barely even taking in the names passing by quickly on her screen. A full two minutes passed before a familiar name caught her eye:

  
_Carol H. Aird_

  
Therese did a double-take, but didn’t even hesitate to click into her profile when she knew it was her.   
  
—

  
Works at **Redview Elementary** ****  
****  
Studied at **N/A** ****  
**  
** Lives in **Manhattan, New York**

From **Manhattan, New York**

 **  
** —  
  
Interesting. Therese frowned with the little information provided, but continued scrolling down.   
  
— **  
****  
** Birthday          **May 14** **  
****  
** Gender           **Female** **  
****  
** Relationship   **Married to** ** _Harge Aird_**  
status  
  
—  
Shoot. She was in way too deep. It dawned on Therese that this was way too personal, considering the fact that they hardly knew each other in the first place. But what really caught her eye was the fact that she was married. Not that it bothered her or anything. She just forgot that the blonde was probably married.  
  
She had also completely forgotten that Dannie and Genevieve were waiting outside for her too, had it not been for the loud knock from the other side of the door. Therese quickly slid her phone into her pocket, deciding that she had no right to be on her profile anyway.  

* * *

“Long live our Queen Terry!”  
  
Four glasses clinked in unison over the center of a square table. So far, Dannie had introduced them to Richard, a fellow around Therese’s age, and Therese had counted at least twenty times in which Dannie had hinted that Richard and her would make a good couple.   
  
“So- uh, Therese, tell me a little bit about yourself.”   
  
“Well, I swim. I teach swimming to little kids and I sometimes participate in competitions. So, a swimmer, I guess.”   
  
“Mhmm...” 

“And what do you do?”

“Well, I’m a teaching assistant at an elementary school.”  
  
Therese’s eyes snapped wide open. “Really?”   
  
“Yep.”  
  
She thought back to the blonde’s facebook profile. Even though she had only quickly skimmed over it, she knew that the woman was a teacher at some kind of an elementary school too. She just couldn’t quite remember of which school. _Redwood? Redridge? Red- something…._  
  
“Just out of curiosity, which school?”  
  
“Redview elementary.” _Jackpot._ This was easier than she thought. “You know the art museum near the shore? It’s a few blocks away from there.”  
  
Therese couldn’t believe her luck. Either she was a really good detective, or she was just lucky. She decided on the latter.   
  
Once the topic had moved on, Therese didn’t even bother listening anymore, opting to only focus on her plate of spaghetti. She was going to ask Richard if he knew the blonde, but bit back her question. It would be too risky, since she would have no proper answer as to how she knew her if he asked.   
  
She thought back to what had happened earlier in the day, dissing herself for not taking the opportunity to approach the blonde after the lesson.   
  
_If only she had taken the chance to talk to her. How hard could it have been? She was literally ten meters away. Stupid anxiety. Stupid low self- esteem. Now she would have to wait for another week before she got to see her again. Eugh.  At least she knew where she worked. If only—_ __  
  
Therese snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the creak of a chair being pushed back and saw Richard stand up from his seat.  
  
“So, Therese, I have to run, but I’d like to take you out for lunch or dinner some time, if you’d like.” Richard bent down towards the table and wrote something on a piece of napkin. “Here’s my number.”  
  
Therese took it and hastily stuffed it into her pocket.   
  
Once Richard had left, it had all but been forgotten.

* * *

When she arrived at the swimming pool the next day, Therese couldn’t help but feel somewhat dejected. She couldn't stop thinking about the older woman last night, and the fact that she was back at where she first met her didn't help at all. Even though she had only spoken a few sentences to the blonde, it felt like there was some sort of an unmistakable connection between them. Therese snorted at the thought. _A connection between an elementary school teacher and a swimming teacher, how charming._ The only common ground between them was the fact that they were both teachers.

Keen to rid the blonde from her mind, Therese went on with her usual routine, first checking the roster. Although it was a Monday— which meant no classes until three in the afternoon, she was still responsible for the hygiene and safety of the pool, as there were people who came to swim for leisure. She scanned the list, and found ‘ _Lifeguard duty_ ’ next to her name. She let out a quiet sigh and headed to the chair towering over the pool. That was where she sat for the next hour, watching people swimming back and forth.  
  
When her shift ended, instead of going back into the office for her break, she took off her top and shorts and exchanged them for her swim cap and goggles and dived into the pool. She wasn’t technically allowed to, but sitting there for an hour had really caused her to mentally dry up.   
  
She locked her arms in the streamline position as she glided the first few meters. Once she neared the surface, she unlocked them and let her right arm pull back as she turned her head to the right side for a breath. As her arm reached her midsection, she began pulling her left arm back, all the while kicking her legs. Up and down, up and down. Not too strong, but not too weak either.   
  
When she neared the end of the pool, she pushed her head down and did a tumbleturn. Her feet pushed against the wall with a resounding thump.   
  
Therese repeated this process for another few lengths before she decided to leave the pool. As she climbed up the ladder, she saw a figure wave at her from the other end of the pool. A blonde figure. Could it be? A million thoughts raced through Therese’s mind. Was it her? She grabbed her clothes off the stand and made her way to the figure. She could feel her heart thumping rapidly against her chest, and her blood roaring thunderously inside her body. Her vision blurred, so she closed her eyes and shook her head, and when she opened them again, she knew that her wish had been granted.   
  
It was her. It was  _Carol_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I just dumped a whole load of stuff on everyone's heads, but thank you for reading! Kudos to everyone who waited patiently (11 months) for this!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
